Page 58 of Meduso
“Smart boy! I knew you weren’t so dumb. But speaking of dumb, I see my half-brother is walking the beach with a severe wound. Is that so?” Hermes inquired, although I was not sure why he was asking me this when he obviously knew the answer. Did he just want confirmation for his own self-esteem?
“Yes. Perseus stepped out for a while,” I replied.
“Perfect. That leaves us some alone time to have a little discussion. But first and foremost, do you happen to have my second pair of winged sandals I lent Perseus?”
I nodded and pointed over to them in the corner of the cave.
He walked over and picked them up. “Great. Seeing as how he will no longer be needing these, I will be taking them off his hands.”
I stood dumb-founded. Hermes still did not answer my question. “I asked why you are here…” I reminded him.
“Ah. Is that how a polite host should be addressing his guest? With that dreadful tone?” he questioned.
He was now starting to irritate me. Hermes may have been the messenger of the gods and also known as the god of roads, flocks, travelers, and thieves. But really, he should also add thegod of annoyanceto his many titles. I am quite surprised no one has thought to bequeath him with that honor.
“I can see you are not amused,” he observed. “Very well. Let me just cut to the chase. You, Meduso, are becoming quite the nuisance to us gods.”
My eyes widened in shock at what he had just informed me of. I was also bitterly confused. “How so!?”
“First, you seduce Poseidon. Then, you defy Athena. No matter how many warriors are sent to this island, you refuse to die. Somehow, you managed to seduce Poseidon once again, to the point where he cursed all of the seas around here in your honor. As a result, Zeus gave permission for me, Athena, Hephaestus, and even Hades to pick a strong warrior to expedite your death. But not just any warrior. Zeus insisted on his demi-god son, Perseus of Seriphos, to be that warrior. Unbeknownst to Athena, Hephaestus, and I,youhad an affair with Perseus when you were younger. Of course, we had to spy on you both and your interactions here on this island to figure that out. We were all quite astonished to learn this information.”
I was taken aback. To think that the gods and goddesses had such conversations about me and even watched over me as much as Hermes had insinuated. I had no idea I was discussed and often viewed in such a manner by them.
Hermes then continued. “And when we went to Zeus to report this, he claimed he already knew all of it. That he was testing his son, Perseus, to see if he could give up love for his honor and vainglory. But clearly, we know the result of that test. A complete and utter failure! You have somehow bewitched him. He is wrapped around your fingers, just like all of the men you have managed to attract and seduce in your lifetime.”
“I am not a tempter, nor as vile as you make me out to be,” I defended.
“Maybe not. But still, it cannot be denied that you have caused great turmoil among the gods. Athena and Poseidon are at greater odds because of your actions. Athena, Hephaestus, and myself have wasted a significant amount of time supporting and aiding Perseus, all for nothing. And surely, once Zeus learns that Perseus has chosen love over his legacy, which we have not informed the King of the Gods of this yet, he will be vengeful and likely kill you both. And to think one single mortal could cause all this trouble. I must honestly say I am quite impressed, Meduso.”
“But I did not mean for any of this to happen,” I explained.
“Oh, gorgon boy! Intent does not necessarily correlate to consequence. That is why we often use the phraselive and learn. But I have come to warn you of the predicament you are putting yourself and Perseus in. Right now, Perseus’s mother, Danaë, has fled King Polydectes’ fortress,” Hermes shared.
“What!? Does Perseus know about this?”
“No. Of course not. How could he possibly know? Anyway, she had second thoughts on her engagement to the king once she realized how much of a tyrant he really was. Therefore, she refused to take the king’s hand in marriage and has sought refuge at a temple on an adjacent island near Seriphos. She will likely be found by the king’s men in the near future and there is no doubt of the actions the king will take when he does, in fact, find her.” Hermes swiped his index finger across his throat to provide a dramatic effect to his story.
“No. We cannot allow Danaë to be killed by Polydectes. Perseus must return to Seriphos to protect her,” I replied.
“Good! I am glad to see we share the same opinion. Yes. Perseus must return to his home land. It is his destiny to be a hero among mortals and recognized by the gods as one, too. But we are still in quite the dilemma here. We both know Perseus will never return to Seriphos withyouin the picture,” Hermes pointed directly at me as he stated this.
The herald of the gods was right. Even I knew this to be true. As long as I was alive and well here on this island, Perseus would never dare to leave me. “Well, what can I do to persuade him to return to Seriphos?”
“Now, that is the real question you need to discover for yourself, dear gorgon. I already know the answer, but it would be too easy for me to reveal it to you. Zeus had already tested Perseus, to which he failed. Now it is my turn to test you, Meduso. Let us see if you can pass this test and find a way to make Perseus leave this island and return to Seriphos. Somehow, deep down, I think you already know the answer, but are afraid to admit it to yourself. It will not take much creativity to figure it out. But alas, my time with you has expired. I will be taking my winged-sandals with me. I wish you luck, Meduso.”
Hermes then turned and sprinted out of the cave. Less than a minute later, Perseus had returned to me. I tried to change the expression on my face, so I did not look as bothered as I felt from my meeting with Hermes. But Perseus knew better. He could see past my looks to know when I was disturbed. “Is everything okay, Meduso?”
“Of course, everything is fine. I was just worried about you. That’s all. But now that you’re here in one piece, I am relieved.”
But this was a complete lie. I had such a great burden on my shoulders now. And based on everything that had transpired, I knew I had a difficult decision to make. I continued to mull it over in my mind. There was only one way he would leave this island.
I then remembered what Perseus had mentioned to me on one of the first days he arrived here.
“I waited so long to come back to you. And now that I have, I never wish to leave you. I have no plans to go anywhere. I want to remain on this island with you for the rest of my days…”
I knew what I had to do. The vision of the Fates led me to believe this day was bound to come. Hermes also confirmed it in his own baffling way. The next few days, I spent as much time with my sisters as I could, just smiling and retelling some of the most memorable stories from our childhood. They found my behavior quite odd, but I did not have the heart to tell them of my plan. However, I wanted to make sure that my last days spent with them were nothing but joyful and pleasant. I loved them both dearly. They had sacrificed so much for me and I will forever admire them for putting family first before anything else.
After my last conversation with them, I returned to my personal cave to meet Perseus. As I entered it, the space around me completely transformed.
